Brian's Sermons

Laodicea: Revelation 3:14-22 The second and third chapters of Revelation contain seven letters to the seven churches in Asia. We have looked in-depth at each letter, and we have heard again and again: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. We have seen the reminder to return to our first love, to persevere in the face of suffering and persecution, to hold fast to solid Christian doctrine, to keep free from moral compromise, to remain spiritually alive, and to hold on. Today we hear a harsh warning to those who are lukewarm Christians. This letter is from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation, the reliable witness with true testimony. Because he is the firstborn of God’s creation and in him all things were created, he rules over it all. This letter comes to the church in Laodicea, the wealthiest city in its region. It was famous for its fertile ground for grazing sheep, especially a breed with a luxurious blac...

Philadelphia: Revelation 3:7-13 It has been a while since I have been in the pulpit here. But before Easter Revival, when I last preached here, we were looking at the seven letters to the seven churches in Asia, as recorded in the Book of Revelation. Today we get the letter to the church in Philadelphia. Some of the churches were doing pretty well, but there were some problems. Mostly with churches trying to coexist with the culture by inviting un-Christian aspects of the culture to infiltrate the church. So many of the letters are punctuated by sharp warnings. But not the church in Philadelphia. If you want to think of it this way, think of going to charge conference and presenting your report, and instead of picking at the little details, the DS and those assembled have nothing negative to say. The name “Philadelphia” means “city of brotherly love.” But the Christians here were receiving a less than loving response from the Jewish community. In fact, the church was being p...